Public We're not soft on sea turtles

[Kloe Weo]

The time was ripe.

All across the galaxy, gluttons and gourmands were willing to pay for exotic fare. Fresh, if they could get it. Kloe didn't normally engage with this sort of foolishness - anything that could be killed could be eaten, but those who didn't have the ability to kill shouldn't get to be choosy about what they eat. She also didn't care for the more esoteric, cannibalistic ends of that spectrum. That said, if some wanna-be politician was willing to pay through the nose for decadent and illegal meats he didn't have the stones to harvest himself? Well. She could be the mechanism that parted fools from money. Especially if it provided the opportunity for samples for her own collection.

Kattada was a lovely beach beach planet deep in the heart of the GA. Normally? Untouchable. But considering that the GA was currently undergoing death-spasms, the rule of law was somewhat compromised. Local law enforcement still stood, of course, but anything with more punch and power to it had bigger things to worry about. Empirically speaking. This also happened to be the time of year that the Kattadan Hardbacks laid their eggs.

Massive, peaceful turtles, the Kattadan Hardback ventured to the shores or reefs of their birth to lay eggs, and during this time they were most vulnerable to predation. A gentle species by any measure, they relied on their famous shells and massive size to deter predators. Of course, that sort of thing only worked well against other animals. Humanoids were a little more clever, usually. Especially because the Kattadan Hardback had especially succulent meat, making it a treasured delicacy in some culinary circles. It was also a fine opportunity to snag some turtle eggs.

The time was ripe. For turtles.

Kleo and a small team of laborers arrived at a small fishing village on one of thousands of coastal fishing towns. Most people coming to see the turtles would be going to a more major city or town, she reasoned - a backwater like this would have less amphibious protection. "Spread out." The Sith instructed pointedly. "Survey the local beaches. Look for early arrivals. Don't make a fuss." She ordered.

Pausing to run her fingers along the ears of one of her loth-wolves, Kleo narrowed her eyes at the sunny beach and quaint fishing village. "Kill nobody. We take as many samples alive as we can load in the shuttle. Go."

 

[Xandyr Carrick]

X A N D Y R​

Xandyr liked to step off the beaten track when he could afford some holiday. His life was a busy one. Day to day he was travelling to bustling cities to follow his business clients around, most recently Danger Arceneau

His upbringing among gentleman gangsters had made him a unique entry in the ranks of the Oiran house. He had the skills to protect his clients, they had trained him in everything else a client expected from a companion.

Xandyr relaxed on the small round bottomed boat he had borrowed. He rowed it out each morning and enjoyed diving down and watching the silvery fish swim past.

 

[Sahi]

Sea Turtles

"A blue eye is a true eye; Mysterious is a dark one, which flashes like a spark sun! A black eye is the best one"
- William Rounseville Alger -

Gear: In Sig

​

Sahi arrived on Kattada for a little rest after her last mission, which proved to be more entertaining than she first suspected; but the credits she amassed from the bounty outweighed the troublesome entertainment. Shutting down all the unnecessary systems aboard her ship, the Dark Rhapsody, she began pondering the last time she actually took time for herself, and no concrete answer revealed itself. Standing up, stretching in the process, she grabbed her sheath with her sword tucked inside, clipping it to utility belt around her waist. Mentally she chuckled. Why would she need her weapon, or her armor, if she was here to relax. That answer was easy, the galaxy was a dangerous place, and, in her profession, she surely made enemies; even on such a tropical and beautiful planet as Kattada.

Exiting the ship, she took in the beautiful sights, feeling the hot rays of the sun dance across her face. Briefly, a smile crept upon her lips before walking down the ramp into one of the most dazzling displays of beach resort beauty. Everywhere her eyes looked, kids were laughing and frolicking in both the sand and in the crystal-clear blue water; and parents ignoring their kids whilst sipping on cold, tasty beverages. Moving through the crowds of people, she spotted a less populated cantina with a rental boat establishment attached to it.

Taking a seat at one of the empty tables, she ordered a drink, turning her attention to the waters, seeing hundreds of boats; some for-leisure activity and others for business purposes. When the waitress returned, Sahi asked, "How's the fishing in those waters?" The waitress, stealing a glance out across the water in the direction of the fishing vessels, replied, "Profitable. But it's also the season that Hardbacks lay their eggs. Sadly, poachers will be arriving to plunder those eggs." The sadness in her eyes and tone of her voice told Sahi the waitress did not approve of the poachers. "Why doesn't the local authorities stop them," Sahi said grabbing her frosty mug that was already sweating, cascading lines of water sliding slowly down toward the table. The waitress shrugged before saying, "They're just animals, correct? Starting a tab?"

Kloe Weo / Xandyr Carrick

 

[Cordelia 'Cori' Eldoris]

Location: Kattada
Objective: Save the turtles!
Tags: Kloe Weo Xandyr Carrick Sahi

The reef community within which Cordelia 'Cori' Eldoris was raised was not without its rules, laws that not only governed the actions of the merfolk living there but informed who they were and the very core of their values. Cori could recite them off by heart, for they were simple, but deeply respected.

Do not take from the reef what it cannot grow back.

Do not influence or coerce another into hurting others or themselves.

Respect your elders, respect the leader, and respect the sea itself.

But most importantly: Do not harm the ocean mothers.

That meant strictly no harvesting female sea creatures that are in the process of laying eggs or raising their young. That meant respecting the gift of life that the force had blessed them with. And that meant protecting the reef mothers when they were in danger.

The Jedi glared at the shoreline, eyes narrowed as she rested upon the back of a giant turtle. The creature did not seem to mind, barely noticing her weight as it swam towards the sand, ready to lay its eggs in the safety of the dunes. It could not possibly hope to know that poachers were waiting out of sight, ready to snatch up and destroy it and it's young like foxes and wolves.

The ersansyr wasn't about to let them. She had foreseen this day in a vision - woken up breathless and horrified from the image of poachers slaughtering the turtles fresh in her mind. It had taken a great deal of convincing to get the council to allow her to go - all Jedi were being funnelled into the war effort, after all - but eventually they had relented. Cori was glad for it, glad for the distraction that would take her mind off of Coruscant and glad for the chance to protect her beloved marine life.

The turtle's body shook as sand met shell, the creature beaching itself as if it was a giant ship ploughing into the shore. Hopping down from her perch, Cori drew her lightwhips, scanning the expanse of soft yellow for danger.

"I'll protect you," she whispered to the turtle in her native tongue, "I swear it on the force itself."

 

[Kloe Weo]

Ah, the humble turtle. A few useful adaptations, but aside from their prodigious size of little personal interest to Kloe. They'd be fantastic material to study, and she wanted to raise a couple to see if the inherently pathetic traits that plagued turtles could be bred out - the finicky nature when it came to laying eggs, the awkwardness on land, the lack of appetite for meat as an omnivore. With their large size, a properly motivated turtle with a desire for complex protein and the ability to digest carrion? Imagine what they could become. Imagine those formidable shells with the calcium-rich diet that bones could provide. Imagine how economical it'd be to train them when they lived for centuries.

And to think. Her patron wanted them for meat. Pathetic.

"They come ashore at sundown to lay. They'll seek somewhere safe-looking about three meters from the wrack line." Kloe instructed, gesturing to two of her goons to take positions in the bushes away from the shore - where they'd have a clear view. One of them was carrying a large bag, the other had a shovel - peak henchmen behavior. "Let them lay. They'll rest, then the able-bodied ones will withdraw. That is when you harvest. If you damage those eggs, consider your employment in peril - I want every single one."

Kloe paused by the waters' edge, crouching down to run her fingers through the surf. "It won't be long now." She mused quietly, as her corrupted loth-wolves frolicked in the sand behind her - menacingly. "Deliver your bounty to my waiting hands, burgeoning seas of Kattada." The Sith quietly growled. "You have no choice. Motherhood calls."

 

[Xandyr Carrick]

X A N D Y R​

Kloe Weo

One of them was carrying a large bag, the other had a shovel - peak henchmen behavior.

Feeling the sun start to dip, Xandyr decided to go for a row. He cut quite the figure in his small boat, well tanned and muscles working hard. It warmed him through as the breeze picked up.

He stopped rowing and let the tide carry him as he saw the figures on the shore. It was unfortunate that he could recognise people ill at ease. His shady past and current need for sharp eyes made him feel uneasy as soon as he saw them.

It wasn't, he thought to himself, his problem.

Xandyr started to row further down the shore.

 

[Mercy]

Kloe Weo | Xandyr Carrick |@Cordelia 'Cori' Eldoris | Sahi

Mercy was not a henchman.

She didn't hench, she was not a man either, but she did have a natural curiosity that often drew her to places she had no business being in. So when Kloe mentioned she was hunting after... turtles, well, consider her curiosity piqued. Up until now it was a bit of a disappointment however. The turtles were... well... turtles.

So they were slow, lazy, not that impressive to look at either.

Even as Kloe waddled into the water to deliver a sermon, she crouched down near her menacing wolves. And... began to stroke their fur, while cooing at them as if they were little swaddling babies.

"Yes, you are a cutie, aren't you? The cutiest little furball, yes you are!" Maybe it was even a bit annoying how much her wolves took a liking to Mercy or maybe Kloe didn't mind. Either way, Mercy dotted on them as if they were her children. "Kloe, dear, I don't want to interrupt your ceremony, but if nobody comes to fight us stat, I am going to throw a fit."

Then a pause as she patted the wolf's nose.

"And we don't want that, do we? No we do not!" Babying the wolf some more.